We actually received a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you--get back to us quickly. I Have something important to tell you.' Then she repeated a phone number beginning with 809 .
'We didn't respond'.

Then this week, we received the following e-mail:

Subject: DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809 , 284 AND 876

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T.
DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809

This one is being distributed all over the US . This is pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get you to call.
Be sure you read this and pass it on.
They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has-been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc.
In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

If you call from the US or Canada, you will apparently be charged $2425 per-minute.

Or, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged more than $24,100.00.

WHY IT WORKS:

The 809 area code is located in theBritish Virgin Islands (The Bahamas).
The charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam

I suspect it probably isn't illegal... in the UK, you can (or at least could, don't know if the law has changed) pay for a premium rate number and charge what you like per minute. There was an old scam, where someone would knock at your door claiming their car had broken down and ask if they could use your phone to call the breakdown company.... what they would then do was phone their premium rate number and appear to wait on hold for several minutes racking up your phone bill. They'd make an offer to pay for the phone call, which of course most people turned down, only to find weeks later when your bill came in that you'd spend a load on a call to this number

This email, which is made to appear to have been sent out by AT&T, purports that a scam is being perpetrated by certain phone companies through the long distance code 809. It alleges that dialing this long distance number can leave callers with unexpectedly huge bills. It explains that the code dials to the Bahamas and does not operate under US regulations.

The code 809, which allegedly dials to the British Virgin Islands, actually belongs to the Dominican Republic.

While AT&T denies ever sending out this email, the scam it describes is apparently true, leading AT&T to issue the following statement regarding the 809 Area Code Urban Legend.

If you receive such an email, keep in mind that while the modus operandi described does indeed take place, you should also be aware of the following:

Not all phone numbers with 809 in the area code is part of this scam; most 809 numbers are legitimate, ordinary numbers.
This scam has been used with area codes aside from 809.
It is not, in fact, $2400 per minute; the figures involved with this scam have been greatly exaggerated over the years.
The average US consumer is unlikely to encounter the scam itself.
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